WAND Education Fund Board

Sen. Charleta Tavares, OH

WAND Education Fund Chair

Charleta Tavares served as a member of the, Ohio House of Representatives (1993-98) Columbus City Council (1999-2010) and currently serves as a member of the Ohio Senate (2011-present). Ms. Tavares is a local, state and nationally recognized cultural competence, housing, health and human services advocate and policymaker. She is the Executive Director of the Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence (MACC), a statewide non-profit membership organization whose mission is to enhance the quality of care in Ohio’s behavioral health system and to incorporate cultural competence into systems and organizations that provide care to Ohio’s vulnerable and at-risk populations. In addition, she was a founding member and is chair Emeritus of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.

Edith Allen, MA

Edie Allen has been active with WAND for many years as a volunteer, board member and donor.  She is president of the Colombe Foundation, which supports organizations working to create a more peaceful world through changes in American policy, and is a board member of the Ploughshares Fund.  She is also co-president of the Clever Hand Gallery, an artisans’ cooperative in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Hon. Marilyn Canavan, ME

Marilyn Canavan served four terms in the Maine House of Representatives (2000-2008). During that time, she distinguished herself as an enduring supporter of women’s issues. She sponsored key domestic violence legislation and in her second term, initiated a celebration of women’s history month in the Maine State House. She proudly served as state director of the Women Legislators Lobby. Now retired, Canavan serves on several boards, including Maine People’s Resource Center, Kennebec Valley Behavioral Health and Kennebec Valley Community College.

State Representative Karen Camper, TN

State Representative Karen Camper of Memphis, Tennessee, has been a member of the Tennessee General Assembly since 2008. A veteran of the United States Army, Representative Camper brings to the table her unique perspective on national security and the importance of service. In the Tennessee General Assembly, she serves as chair of the Women's Legislative Caucus, chair of the Veteran's Legislative Caucus and is a member of the Judiciary and Transportation Committees. Karen is an active member of her community, serving on the International Business Council Advisory Board, member of VFW Post 11133, founder of The Humble Hearts Foundation Inc., a Charter Member of Women in Military Service for America, and a Lifetime Member of Black in Government and NAACP.

State Assemblywoman Maggie Carlton, NV

Maggie Carlton has been working since age 15. A longtime waitress and Culinary Union shop steward since 1994, she helped employees address concerns with management including healthcare issues, contract negotiations, and working conditions. Elected in 1998 to the Nevada Senate, Maggie continued her advocacy for working people. In 2012, due to term limits, she won a state Assembly seat. She is a WiLL State Director and President of the National Labor Caucus of State Legislators. Maggie is a stalwart spokesperson for the working men and women who worry about job security, safety conditions, healthcare costs, and supporting themselves and their families.

Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer, WV

An attorney and small business owner, Fleischauer started a private law practice in 1983 and served from 1987-1991 as General Counsel for District 31 of the United Mine Workers of America. She worked as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division. In the West Virginia legislature since 1994, she has been a leader on such social justice issues as improving domestic violence laws, funding child protective services and foster care, and protecting the environment.

Hon. Pan Godchaux, MI

Pan Godchaux spends her retirement volunteering as an archivist and lighthouse keeper in the Straits of Mackinac, while dabbling in local government. After retiring from twenty years in elected office, school boards and the Michigan legislature, Pan signed up for her second tour in the Peace Corps, serving in the former Soviet Republic of Moldova. She is a founder of the Institute for Local Government at the University of Michigan Dearborn and does political consulting.  She has taught little kids, been a print and broadcast journalist and now teaches Taoist Tai Chi. She can also be found babysitting a couple of wonderful grandsons.

Jean Gordon, AR

Ms. Gordon has been an active member in the peace, social justice, and civil rights movements for many years. She chaired Arkansas Peace Links Board and Peace Center Boards where she edited a bi-monthly newsletter, Pulaski Priorities, showing the effects of the military budget on Pulaski County residents. She received an Arkansas Peace & Justice Heroes award from the OMNI Center in Fayetteville and was honored by Just Communities of Central Arkansas. She founded Arkansas WAND, and now serves as membership chair.

Betsy Rivard, GA

WAND Education Fund Secretary

Betsy has been active in Atlanta WAND for about 16 years, serving on the board for at least eight years. Her chemistry background and Oak Ridge, TN past (her father worked for the Atomic Energy Commission) made her concerned about the nuclear issue (weapons and power). Betsy also serves on the boards of the UN Association of the USA, Nuke Watch South, Georgians for Gun Safety, and the Chattooga Conservatory.

Sayre Sheldon, MA

WAND Education Fund Treasurer

A founding member of WAND and President Emerita of the National WAND Board, Sayre has been a long time political and social activist. She was a college professor of literature and an author of several plays and articles about women's issues and peace issues. She edited the anthology Her War Story: 20th Century Women Write About War, published in 1999 by Southern Illinois University Press. She represents WAND as an NGO at the United Nations.

State Senator Lena Taylor, WI

Senator Lena Taylor, a Milwaukee native, earned a B.A. in English from UW-Milwaukee and a J.D. from SIU-Carbondale. She won a 2003 Assembly special election, and won her Senate seat in 2004. Her Senate committee service includes Economic Development and Veterans and Military Affairs, and Finance, as well as study committees on Strengthening Wisconsin Families, Courts and Effective Justice Strategies. Taylor is an attorney and past vice chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Her civic service includes NAACP, Urban League, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Unity Caucus, and the Milwaukee Community Justice Council. She has interviewed extensively with national media on the walk-out of Senate Democrats to uphold collective bargaining rights for public employees.

State Rep. Anna Tovar, AZ

Before joining the Arizona House, Representative Anna Tovar was a teacher for five years, served on the Tolleson City Council, and was Vice Mayor for two and a half years. She is currently a member of the House Judiciary and Government Committees. As a teacher and mother, she understands issues demanding immediate attention such as schools and hospitals, infrastructure needs, and job and housing losses in a declining economy. Attracting businesses, advocating for new housing developments, promoting environmentally friendly programs and working to build new police and fire stations are just a few of her accomplishments.

State Rep. Angela Williams, CO

State Representative Angela Williams, Denver, represents House District 7 in the Colorado House of Representatives. She serves as Vice-Chair of the Audit Committee, serves on the Economic and Business Committee, the Transportation Committee and the House Services Committee. She is also the owner of the Angela Williams Agency, Inc. Williams is an active community leader devoting her efforts towards working families and small business growth, mentoring and leadership development, and ethnic, racial, and gender equality. Williams is a recent graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Sr Executives Program. As co-founder of Chamber Connect, the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce leadership development program, she has been essential to the professional growth of dozens of Colorado’s future minority business leaders. Williams also serves as the Chairperson of the recently formed Colorado Black Caucus.

Catlin Worm, IN

Caitlin Worm, a fervent supporter of women’s rights and empowerment, got involved in politics at a young age. While in college, she served as President of the College Democrats for the state of Indiana and worked with Hoosier youth to elect a Democratic President for the first time in 40 years. Now, she keeps busy in peace activism and philanthropy within her community. Caitlin holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Indiana University South Bend and a Masters degree from the University of Chicago’s historic School of Social Service Administration. She currently manages a marketing consulting firm in South Bend, Indiana and is the marketing manager for seven non-profits in her area.